Hi
I'm Madeleine (Madi or Maddie for short), an Australian astrophysicist interested in globular clusters and all things Milky Way. I was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, and completed my undergraduate degree and Masters of Astrophysics at the University of Western Australia and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research. My Masters thesis, titled Simulating the Formation of Multiple Stellar Populations in Globular Clusters, was supervised by Professor Kenji Bekki. I am currently a PhD candidate at the Australian National University, supervised by Dr. David Yong and Professor Mark Krumholz. I primarily work on high precision spectroscopy and isotopic analysis of globular clusters. Currently I am in my final year of my PhD and am applying for postdoc positions.
(Cover image: Three Minute Thesis Competition 2023, 47 Tucanae (credit: NASA/ESO) is the globular cluster in the background.)
My Research
My research interests include:
- High precision spectroscopy
- Isotopic analysis
- Multiple stellar populations in globular clusters
- Chemical evolution of the Milky Way
- Galactic archaeology
Publication databases:
My ADS library
OrcID
Google Scholar
Highlights:
1) Isotopic analysis of stars in M22 where I developed code to derive isotopic abundances.
2) High precision differential abundances in M22 where I made the most precice chemical abundance measurements yet in the globular cluster M22 to demonstrate the existence of an iron abundance spread.
3) Simulations of inhomogenity in globular cluster forming giant molecular clouds where I used hydrodynamical simulations to study the extent of possible iron abundance variations in globular cluster forming gas clouds.
Curriculum Vitae
Please contact me for a more comprehensive PDF version.
Education
PhD, Astronomy and Astrophysics (Mar 2021 - Sep 2024)
Australian National University (ANU)
Chemical correlations in galaxies and stellar populations
Primary advisor: David Yong
Co-advisors: Mark Krumholz, Sarah Martell, Kathryn Grasha, Sven Buder
Masters of Physics (Astrophysics) (Jan 2019 - Nov 2020)
The University of Western Australia (UWA),
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
Simulating the Formation of Multiple Stellar Populations in Globular Clusters
Advisor: Kenji Bekki
Bachelor of Science - Physics, Computer Science (Jan 2015 - Nov 2019)
The University of Western Australia
Award highlights
Three Minute Thesis Competition Finalist, Australian National University (2023)
Watch the recording
Bok Prize, Astronomical Society of Australia (2023)
Best undergraduate or Masters student thesis in Australia,
Details of the award here
Recorded talks
Mg isotope ratios reveal the accreted component of the Milky Way
Astronomical Society of Australia Annual Science Meeting 2023,
Watch recording via Dropbox link
The Globulars of GALAH
Astro3D science meeting 2023,
Watch Youtube recording
Chemical abudnances in the metal poor globular cluster M22
Astro3D science meeting 2021,
Watch Youtube recording
Simulations of Globular Clusters
Astronomical Society of Australia Annual Science Meeting Bok Prize lecture 2021,
Watch Youtube recording
Resources & Outreach
Surveying the Milky Way Conference 2023 poster
Get in touch
University email: madeleine.mckenzie@anu.edu.au
Gmail: madeleine.l.mckenzie@gmail.com
Twitter: @MadellanicCloud